Public reporting is the right thing to do, and STS regards this as a professional responsibility.

Public reporting is one way to demonstrate the quality of cardiothoracic surgery.

Outcomes reports based on clinical data are more accurate and more useful than are outcomes reports based on administrative data, which lack critical clinical information about patients.

STS has taken the lead in public reporting by providing easy to understand, clinical data on heart surgery outcomes to the public. Reporting outcomes based on clinical, or medical, data is more accurate and more useful than outcomes based on administrative data that lack critical clinical information about patients.